ONIT

It’s no secret our World has been impacted by tragedies over the past few months, after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti to the devasting quake in Chile. How does this affect the rest of the World? Various Social Media platforms have formed a way for people to connect across the web to virtually help in any way they can. Communication platforms like Twitter and Facebook have delivered methods to instantly update our World via the web, far faster than print media. Additionally donation accounts have been set up where you can donate directly from Twitter and Facebook or jump on the charity text messaging stream that has been spreading. Social Media has given us the resources to get connected and delivered more opportunities to help out, the next step is for the drive to kick in from each indivudual to get involved.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are a perfect example of  how technology has evolved in such a short period of time through interaction and conservation.

Besides missing out on the sweet tricks, like Shaun White’s Double McTwist 1260, thanks to social sites like Twitter and Facebook, the internet stream has made it so you can be virtually anywhere and read a tweet about USA’s standings in the Olympics and be up to date on each of the athletes standings, or visit the official Facebook game page and see whats going on. Even the sponsors are taking a role in marketing campaigns surrounding the social world. Coke created a virtual snowball fight for consumers to share via twitter, perfect, a snowball fight for the 2010 “Winter” Olympics. Socially creating a virtually fun Olympic experience for everyone.

Beyond our efforts of becoming interactive on the web we have decided to makes this Olympics more earth friendly as well. What is unique about our Vancouver Olympics is that all of our athletes will all be taking home the most honorable kind of medal out there, “green” medals. When our champions are honored at this year’s winter games in Vancouver,  they will be rewarded with a tiny bit of the more than 140,000 tons of e-waste that otherwise would have been sent to Canadian landfills. It’s not about gold, silver or bronze its about green.

Our world as you know it, changing for the better. Tweet That!

Now that Steve Jobs has relieved the suspense of the new Apple products, the crowd has turned to reviews, iPad competition with the Kindle, what the iPad is missing, and what to expect next. For the social media community, the new iPad is a device that will grow usability and access.

Apple’s high-resolution images of the iPad.

Because the new device is built on Mac OS X, the iPad runs almost 140,000 apps from the App Store. New apps designed specially for iPad will be highlighted, so you can easily find the ones that take full advantage of its features. You can be sure that a iPad-specific Facebook and Twitter app are already in development.

I have grown accustomed to the Facebook and Twitter apps (mainly Tweetdeck) on my iPhone, but the large iPad Multi-Touch screen will add a whole new dimension. The user interfaces have a lot more room for GUI(graphic user interface), allowing users more convenient access to their feeds, photos, videos, and news with vibrant color and sharp text. And don’t forget, with iPad, navigating the web has never been easier or more intuitive with only the use of your finger.

Any thoughts or great application ideas for the iPad?

To follow up on our last blog post, social media and the outdoors industry go hand-in-hand! To reiterate, what better way to be social than to enjoy the outdoors and then share the experience with your friend online.

Social media in the outdoor industry must take into account the unique nature of the products and environment. Trained social media professionals can provide in-depth analysis and research into the best methods and tactics to connect your audience to your products.

We here at ONIT believe social media is unlike many traditional forms of marketing in that several departments must be involved in order to be fully successful. Marketing, branding, and interactive have a role in social media. A media campaign requires monitoring and revision. Social media can identify consumer wants and needs online and then develops ways to satisfy them. Social media can support all initiatives.

Onit is out west for a few weeks! Nothing beats the cool coffee shops you can find out here. Current location is the Java Stop in Longmont. Pretty sweet decor, huh?

Looking forward to the trip to Outdoor Retailer! Make sure to follow the updates at @onitmarketing and @merrelloutside.

Outdoor brand marketing is changing at an alarming rate. Social media influence and brand messaging can connect you to highly-qualified outdoor enthusiasts across the globe.Your brand’s social media can be found by millions of users on Facebook and Twitter on news feeds and those performing targeted searches by location, activity, product type, and service.

Top Tips for the Outdoor Brand:

1. To maximize exposure, a company should place its brand messaging in all appropriate categories, directories, sub-directories and searches within its industry.
2. Today’s fans can become tomorrow’s ambassadors.
3. Users have great content: Weekend hikes and climbs continue onto cyberspace as adventurers post onto Facebook and Twitter.

Some big players to follow on Twitter:

@MerrellOutside: Merrell celebrates the slogan “Let’s get outside!” and tweet s about events, great stories, causes, gear, and our love of the outdoors!

@REI_CoOp: They continue to inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.

@OnitMarketing: We’re on top of and responsible for the latest and coolest outdoor social media marketing!

(And check out our tweets from #ORWinter 2010 this weekend)

Onit Marketing LLC is seeking a new, Denver-based social media alchemist (in our world, that’s like an account executive and community manager combined) to join our team.

We’re an innovative social media and digital marketing company specializing in the outdoors, adventure sports, organic, and youth industries. We have worked for some of the coolest brands on earth. Chances are, you’ve used the products of some of our clients on the slopes, hiking through the Rockies, or fueling your work out at the gym.

We are looking for hip, computer and internet savvy people to set-up/grow communities and maintain social networking pages and presence for various social media campaigns. You will be responsible for conducting research projects, and developing and implementing blogger outreach campaigns.

Are you a master of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, the Blogosphere? Do you want to spread the word about cool products and work with a great team? Want to get your hands dirty with a fun upstart with huge growth potential? If so, this is the gig for you.

Our new alchemist should be prepared to work directly with clients (a strong phone/email presence is a must!) and manage the day-to-day operations of 2-3 accounts. A typical day requires working with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Bloggers, Email Marketing, Databases Management and Spreadsheets. You will be expected to have quick turn-around on projects and be a multi tasker.

You must be outgoing, cool, love dogs, and be totally engrossed in the outdoors and social industry. An entrepreneurial spirit will help you go far in this company.

You must have full working knowledge of all Microsoft programs. Must be comfortable working with a Mac computer. You need to have your own computer, car, and cell phone. You must be flexible, accountable and reliable. Joomla experience is great, but not necessary.

Required Skills & Attributes
• Advanced knowledge of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube (video editing a plus)
• Database experience, particularly Filemaker Pro
• Adobe PhotoShop
• Understand how to build communities through social media
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• 2-5 years experience in marketing

You may be expected to travel up to 10% of the time (if you love the outdoors and adventure as much as we do, you’ll love these trips).

Please use our online contact form to send links to your various online profiles, a resume with three references, and a brief idea of your computer/internet expertise level.

Onit will be conducting interviews on Jan 25th and 26th in Denver, Colorado.

This position reports directly to the President of Onit Marketing.

Wishing you, your company, and your family happy holidays and all the best for a successful new year. It has been a great year and we here at Onit would like to thank you for your visits, comments, encouragement and feedback, without which this season would not have been possible. We hope you’ve had an equally great year and wish you continued success for 2010.

Year in Review and Top Social Media Marketing News of 2009

2009 was a major growth year for social media. The industry learned to grow audiences and connect with fans. Facebook reached a milestone of 350 Million users and made $710 Million in profit this year, and it is still growing. Twitter boasts over 7 million users and there have been over 5 Billion tweets.

Snippets of what has happened in the past year:

• Rules for Facebook contests and promotions changed and agencies/companies learned to adapt to the stricter guidelines. Contact us if you need help on your next Facebook or Twitter contest campaign.
• Twitter announced their New Twitter Lists function and API allowing users to organize their followers and influence network. Follow Onit at @onitmarketing.
• Facebook opened their fan page framework to allow brands the ability to add product catalogs and direct links to shopping carts. Check out what we did for Merrell.

Going Forward:

Next year will all be about integration. Over 85% of companies next year expect to incorporate social media into their marketing mix to reach greater audiences. Companies will cross-promote their brands and products by being more social in nature. If your goal is to manage your company’s reputation, strengthen online awareness of your brand, or sell your widgets, there’s a way to integrate social media into your overall marketing efforts. Plans will have to written, entering social media and tweeting a sales pitch will not be enough. Companies with set social marketing strategies governed by properly trained brand ambassadors will come out on top. Train your employees to be brand ambassadors and include them in your social media plan.

What to look for in 2010:

Go Mobile: Apple iPhone & Google Android users account for 82% of US mobile web traffic, include a mobile strategy in your plan.

Authenticity: Social media will become purely social and responsive, not automatic. Companies will learn to listen to fans and customers to better understand the valuable interactions going on online. Our client companies are encouraged to experiment with applications and mediums to learn how their messages can inspire action!

Happy New Years! Have a Social 2010!

The holidays means a lot to Onit. It is the original time to gather with family and loved ones and be social. It has been fun catching up on what everyone has been up to in the past year and preparing for the new year.

We’re fortunate in social media, as opposed to some other areas, in that we can get to spend time with our family around the holidays and share the experience with the rest of the world. Facebook and Twitter Holiday Pictures!

It’s a great time for family to get together and spend quality time together. And you get to eat a lot, too. Food is a big part of the fun!

It’s also a great time to give back to the community and help out. Be social this season, continue into the New Year! Create a holiday memory!

Happy Holidays,

The Onit Team